Quinn - A Tuatha Dé Danann Novel

Chapter Seven

The storm from the night before was like nothing I had ever seen. Winds strong enough to rip trees from the ground pulled and tugged at Aengus baile crann. Thankfully the roots from the many trees that made up the house held firm. Thunder shook the earth and lighting flashed across the sky, illuminating the dark clouds with an eerie glow. The rain came in sheets from every direction and soon the paths of the village were filled with deep pools of water and mud. I was eager to learn magic, but feared by the morning there would be no village left after a storm like that. Instead the sun shone bright and the paths had dried. Other than a few scattered branches it was hard to tell the village endured what felt like a hurricane.

"Our baile crann are strong," said Aengus as we walked, for once, to Maeve's baile. "Woven by magic and infused with the power of nature, they can withstand pretty much anything."

"I've been meaning to ask how do they light up inside. There doesn't seem to be electricity in this town."

"The life force of the tree is what supplies the light. Each day the tree absorbs energy from the sun, and in turn it feeds itself. Whatever energy is left over is radiated inside as light and heat."

"Amazing. Magic can do all that?"

"That and more. The life force of the weaver is tied to the baile. Our emotions can affect the energy in the house. When we are happy the trees radiate a healing warmth, filling anyone inside with a relaxing energy. But if angry or threatened, the energy turns dark, the light fades, and the warmth goes."

"Is that what happened the other day with Eamon? I could barely breathe when he got angry at you."

"Yes exactly. A memory I'd rather forget. I'm sorry I said those hurtful things."

"No worries. I've got thick skin. I've been bullied for a long time, so I learned to not let their words bother me."

"Still, I should not have said those things to the chief about you. Who am I to judge what is right and wrong. I'm only fourteen, while Eamon is over three thousand years old."

"Three thousand years old?" He didn't look a day over fifty to me. "How is that even possible?"

"His magic is strong, and the stronger the magic the longer you can live. Maeve and him are one of the few originals left. Some went into hiding never to be seen again, while others chose to let their life forces return to nature in the hopes of restoring balance. It didn't work though. Magic and nature are still out of sync, and if not fixed it could cast the entire world into darkness."

"How come I don't stay with Eamon at his baile crann?" I hadn't thought much of it, but talking of Eamon reminded me that he was my father. I didn't see much of him in my three days in the village. Again I felt unwanted by him. I was nothing more than a mistake that needed correcting.

"As clan leader he is not allowed to take a wife or have children. It is one of our laws. His power is too great and in times of strife, his thoughts cannot be weighed down by saving the ones he loves over saving the entire village. Yes he may be your father, but he will not put the safety of the village over your own safety."

I was right. I was just a mistake that needed correcting. I was nothing more than a weak moment in this powerful being's three-thousand year existence. He was like a god to these people, it could not be seen that a god had a weakness.

When we arrived at Maeve's baile, I was surprised to see, not Maeve, but a girl my age waiting in the center of the room. The light from the walls made her hair glow, reminding me of the other day when I was set aflame. She was lost in thought or didn't care we came in. Either way she paid no attention to Aengus and me.